Clouds in the Blue Sky
by Stelra Etnae
Summary: It is the bonds tempered through the years that are the strongest. Pirates aren't the only ones who have nakama. This is a one-shot collection featuring veteran Marines and old friends Garp, Sengoku and Tsuru. 5 - As Marine officials, they were duty bound to capture those who opposed the government. But sometimes, looking the other way is the right thing to do.
1. To Believe in What is Right

_**Lo and behold, another one-shot collection! This set will only have 7 drabbles, though. Anyway, going on...**_

_**We have Marine fics, but stories focusing on these three veteran officers (Garp, Sengoku and Tsuru) are few **__**and far between. I have attempted to explore the friendship between the trio in this set of drabbles. This was largely inspired by the picture of the three in their youth that was released with Film Z. If you haven't seen it, try searching for it. It's pretty cool (both picture and film).**_

_**So, without further ado, here's my latest story!**_

_**Warning: May contain some spoilers, but nothing major.**_

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**To Believe in What is Right**

**Summary: If men are corrupt, then what is Justice? Three young Marines contemplate the road that they chose to follow.**

"Say, Tsuru-chan, what made you want to be a Marine?"

This question was proposed out of the blue by the young man stretched out lazily on the deck of the ship. His white uniform shirt was worn half unbuttoned, the blue neckerchief hanging untied. It even looked slightly rumpled, matching his unruly hair. The neat uniform worn by his friend stood in sharp contrast.

The young woman spared a moment to give his careless appearance an exasperated glance before she continued to clean her rifle. "Why did _you_ become a Marine?" she said in lieu of answering.

"But I asked you first," Garp complained. When Tsuru didn't respond, he sighed. "Honestly? I wanted to see the world, but didn't want to be on the wrong side of the law. A selfish reason, isn't it?"

"If it leads you to good, it's sometimes acceptable to be selfish."

"Is that so…?" Garp looked thoughtful. "Anyway, Tsuru-chan, you haven't answered my question yet."

Tsuru was quiet for a moment. "My wish is to cleanse evil from this world. If Justice can lead me towards it, I will walk this path."

"I think, in our own way, we all believe in that," a new voice contributed.

Garp tilted his head to look at the newcomer. "So, how about you, Sengoku? Why are you a Marine?"

"To uphold Justice, of course," the dark-haired man answered simply as he joined them on the sunny deck.

Garp chuckled. "What a noble answer, as expected of you."

"Justice…" Tsuru looked pensive as she assembled her rifle back together. "Can we truly believe in it? If men are corrupt, then what is Justice?"

Sengoku's brows furrowed. "That is a dangerous thing to say, Tsuru."

"But have you never thought of the possibility? If one day we can no longer believe in Justice, what then?"

Those words shook something, deep down.

"I want to believe in Justice," Garp said suddenly, simply, breaking the silence.

"As do I." Sengoku echoed the sentiment firmly.

Tsuru looked at her friends, whose eyes shone with their conviction, and smiled, reassured. "Me too."

Years later, as two of the three handed in their resignation letters, each remembered that conversation from a lifetime ago.

_What then?_

They didn't know anymore.

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_**Please leave a review to let me know what you think!**_


	2. To Never Do Her Wrong

_**Second installation of this Marine series! Includes a cameo appearance from a certain Film Z character...**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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**To Never Do Her Wrong**

**Summary: It was a lovely sunny morning at Marine HQ. Perfect for drying washed laundry and idiotic Marine officers.**

A Marine officer, hair disheveled and yawning, stumbled blearily towards the clothesline to retrieve his dried uniform. Shirt, two pairs of pants, another shirt… Where were his neckerchiefs? Someone must have shifted the clothes to clear up more space. He moved further down the line. Found one of the neckerchiefs… one Marine officer... another Marine officer… ah, there was his n-

Huh?

He rubbed his eyes before turning back to the clothesline. Sure enough, two of his fellow officers, whom he remembered seeing around the base (Garp and Sengoku, was it?), swung gloomily from the line. From their rather crisp appearances, they had probably been hanging there all morning.

He gaped. "W-What?"

"Anything the matter?"

The new recruit jumped, startled by the new voice.

"Ah, Zephyr-senpai! Well…" he gestured helplessly at the clothesline.

Zephyr blinked and took in the bizarre sight. As the two young men glared at him, his mouth slowly curled into an amused smirk. The baleful glares doubled as he burst out laughing. His companion could only look on in bemusement. He must have just been transferred to this base, the poor man.

"Don't worry," Zephyr managed to wheeze between his guffaws, "It's normal."

The sound of chatter and muffled giggles could be heard as the other officers poked their head out of the dorm building to discover the source of the commotion. As Zephyr continued to laugh his heart out, someone yelled out, "What did you do this time, Garp, Sengoku?"

The two men didn't reply, opting to continue looking mutinous.

Zephyr chuckled. Turning to the crowd, he waved them off. "Nothing to see here, people! Get back to your work."

Someone playfully accused the senior officer of being a killjoy, but the crowd eventually dispersed until only Zephyr was left watching the two pieces of human laundry.

The man still looked amused. "Alright, you two. Spill."

Sengoku was obviously disgruntled. "Why should we, Zephyr?"

"Well, if you don't want to, I guess I can't help it," the purple-haired man said nonchalantly. "Have fun sunbathing."

Zephyr turned and made to walk away. Behind him, he knew that the two younger officers were trading frantically conflicted looks.

"Wait!" Garp spoke this time. Sengoku probably still had too much pride. Zephyr smirked. Perfect. "We'll tell you, just get us down!"

"How about you tell me first, then I'll rescue you. What did you do to Tsuru this time?"

"…It wasn't intentional."

"Intentional or not, it must have been quite the scene if it resulted in you two hanging here as half-dried laundry."

The two youths sighed.

"Well… We may have burst into her room without warning…" Garp mumbled, turning a little red.

"It's our day off, so we were wondering if she wanted to go into town with us," Sengoku contributed, his face matching his friend's.

"And considering that guys are no allowed in the female dorms we may have opted to climb a tree to get to the window…"

"Which was open, so we decided to just go in…"

"And well…" They looked opposite ways in fake nonchalance, but their tomato-red faces gave them away.

"And you chanced upon her changing, I suppose?" Zephyr couldn't help the very amused tone that crept into his voice.

If possible, they turned even redder.

"Anyway, we told you, so let us down!" Sengoku yelled out to cover his embarrassment. Beside him, Garp looked like he was to about to expire between the combined pressures of the hot sun and intense mortification.

Not one to break a promise, Zephyr obligingly unpinned the duo and dragged them off the clothesline, effectively returning them to normal.

"Ah, Tsuru!"

The girl pointedly ignored them, storming away leaving two boys with hands outstretched towards her. They stared at her retreating back until it disappeared around the corner, flabbergasted. She hadn't bothered to glance their way, but even the swish of her long ponytail seemed to convey her annoyance with them.

Zephyr's mouth twitched in his effort to suppress his grin. Giving up, he strode forward and clapped his hands onto the pair's shoulders reassuringly. "Give her some time to cool down a bit. Then apologize. And make sure you properly show your sincerity when you do that. She won't be able to stay mad for long if you do that. Take this from someone who's older and more experienced than you when it comes to women." He looked thoughtful. "And buy her something nice from your trip to town today. Yes, that's a good idea."

Garp and Sengoku shared a tired look. "Girls are weird," they grumbled.

Zephyr just laughed more.

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**____****In case you didn't know and are confused, Tsuru ate the Wash Wash Fruit. I'm not kidding you. If you don't remember it, just take a look at the Marineford war. It's a pretty nifty power, hahaha.**

**_Please review! Thank you for your support! :)_**


	3. To Never Stop Caring

**_Third drabble of the series! Hope you enjoy reading this as well!_**

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**To Never Stop Caring**

**Summary: They had the reassurance that people back home were waiting for them to come back. And so they always fought to return, no matter the odds.**

Marine Captain Sengoku sat at his desk, looking over the documents that were part of the customary paperwork that came with his rank. As he finished reading each report, he would sign his name at the bottom of the paper. By all appearances, it seemed like a perfectly normal day at work at Marine Headquarters.

But his immediate subordinates, those who shared the workspace with him, would beg to differ. The highly competent and efficient Captain was working at a significantly slower rate than usual. One or two times, an officer would subtly glance over to find him looking pensively out of the window, searching for something on the seas. Not seeing it, he would then huff in quiet frustration and return to his work. His shoulders were tense, and his grip on his pen was slightly tighter than necessary.

He was worried about something, and all of them had a good idea what.

Thus, when a female captain – one that they all recognized instantly, for she was one of the Captain's closest friends – burst into the office with a loud slam of the sliding door in her haste, none of them moved to stop her.

Sengoku looked up and met Tsuru's eyes. Hoping for the best; fearing the worst.

"He's back."

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They found Garp in the infirmary wing, being fussed over by their resident head medic. Bandages were wrapped firmly around his torso, as well as his left forearm. He looked up as they entered.

"Yo." Garp raised his uninjured hand in greeting, only to get admonished by the doctor who told him not to move while he was working. Garp obediently let his arm drop.

After a good five minutes, the doctor was finally satisfied with the Marine's current condition. "The patient can take visitors now, if necessary." A sniff from the man told them that he thought it a pain to have to allow visitors.

Tsuru smiled politely. "Doctor, did he suffer any injury to his head?"

The doctor was understandably bemused at the sudden question – even Sengoku was perplexed. Nevertheless, the medic answered. "Nothing more than some scratches on his face."

"Good."

Without warning, Tsuru slammed her fist down on the top of Garp's head. Sengoku winced. That looked like it hurt, if Garp's loud grumbles were anything to go by.

Immediately after, the doctor hit Tsuru unforgivingly on the head as well with a doctor's fine disregard of official rank and authority.

"You're disturbing my patient! Get out!"

The annoyed man tossed both Tsuru and Sengoku unceremoniously out of the medical wing.

"Well…" the two Marines looked at each other. A few moments later, both of them chuckled. The laughter was both amused and chuckled, emotions brought by their friend's return. It was as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

"We'll come back to visit again later, Garp!" Tsuru called back into the room before the pair left together to return to work.

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As promised, they returned after office hours, half an hour before visiting hours ended. The doctor shot them a dirty look before heading to his room to tidy up some things, giving them the privacy that they had requested. Once alone, they turned to the injured member of their trio.

"You idiot," Tsuru intoned dangerously. "Do you know how worried we have been?"

Garp cringed. "I'm sorry, Tsuru-chan. Forgive me?" he said meekly. "Please?"

Tsuru's scary expression wavered as her mouth twitched. Garp grinned in triumph, knowing that the battle had been won.

Tsuru grabbed hold of the man's ear in a painful grip. "You aren't off the hook yet, Garp!" But though her words were fierce, she couldn't help the smile as Garp flailed dramatically. Sengoku kept an eye on the door to the doctor's office, hoping that the man wouldn't suddenly decide to return and see his patient being tortured.

Seeing no indication of such a thing happening, he turned back to grin. "Afraid of a girl, Garp?"

Garp protested to that unfair statement. "But Tsuru-chan isn't just any girl. She's scary! And wait till you're in this position, Sengoku! Then see if you can talk."

"Until a muscle-head like you, Sengoku doesn't need me to keep him in line." Tsuru twisted his earlobe a little for good measure before letting go.

Garp winced, clutching his abused ear, and then pouted.

"But we really were worried, Garp. You were a week behind your scheduled return time and hadn't sent any message about your status. Of course we would fear the worst."

"…I know. Sorry."

A comfortable silence settled, the setting sun casting a warm glow into the room. The three sat together, as they had always done.

"Hey, Tsuru-chan, Sengoku?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for being worried."

"…Idiot. That's what friends are for."

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_**Thank you for reading! Please leave a review.**_


	4. To Remind Him That They Are There

**_Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter!_**

**_Jumping many years into the future, to about 15 years before the beginning of the series..._**

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**To Remind Him That They Are There**

**Summary: Sengoku's getting promoted, and his two best friends decide to get him a congratulatory gift.**

"Did you hear? Kong is being promoted to Commander-in-Chief."

Tsuru looked up from her paperwork in surprise. "Really? Fleet Admiral Kong?"

"Yup. You know what that means."

The woman smiled. "You're so sure that he'll get the post?"

"Who else is there? And you know what _that_ means."

With a laugh, Tsuru started clearing away the papers. "Alright, I get what you want. Just wait a moment."

"Why wait?" A devilish gleam entered Garp's eyes as he pulled Tsuru off her chair and out of the office without any ceremony. "Let's go!"

"Garp! What if the wind blows the documents off the table!? I'll be reorganizing them for hours," Tsuru scolded in exasperation but allowed him to drag her down the corridor anyway.

"Your business, not mine," was the cheeky reply.

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"Garp, that is atrocious."

"Really? I thought that it looked pretty fashionable."

"Then you're color-blind."

He huffed. "Fine. You choose something this time. But it should be something flashy, you know. Brighten up his life a little. He'll need it, with all the stress he'll be getting."

"From you?"

"Why, Tsuru-chan, I would never!" Garp was offended. Tsuru pointedly ignored him.

"How's this?"

"Too plain."

"This?"

"Looks like something he'll have already… Here, this one's better."

"Garp, you know perfect well that he would never wear something like that. We want him to actually use it, don't we?"

"But he never wears any headwear except for his Marine cap! We might as well make modifications to that… instead…"

The pair paused, struck by the spontaneous idea. Ingenious. "Come to think of it… Why not?"

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"You think he'll like it?"

"It's better than the pink frilly thing you wanted to foist on him, anyway."

"That was a joke."

"This isn't?"

"Hey, it's actually pretty symbolic! There's real meaning in the design. See, it even reflects his new rank."

"Which he hasn't actually officially gotten yet, by the way."

"Oh, he'll get it for sure. I overheard old Kong talking to him about it."

"…I knew you were a little too confident for it to be based on speculation alone."

"..."

"..."

"Hey, Tsuru-chan, one of the feet came off."

"Get the glue. That can be fixed easily."

Silence prevailed save the sound of rustling as they worked. Then footsteps outside the door broke their concentration.

"Someone's coming! Quick, hide it!"

The door opened. "Garp? Tsuru? What are you two doing here?"

"Oh, Sengoku. We were just talking about having dinner together later. Want to join us? We'll meet at seven."

"Sure, that'll be great. I'll be there. By the way, have you seen my cap?"

"Nope."

"Strange… I wonder where I could have misplaced it. I usually keep it with me at all times…" The door closed.

"…How _did_ you manage to steal it from him, anyway?"

"I have my means. And it's called borrowing without permission, since we're returning it to him anyway."

"Sure…"

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"Fleet Admiral, sir! There has been a report from – …Sir? Is that a seagull on your hat?"

Sengoku looked up expressionlessly from the documents he had been reading and the officer felt a shiver run down his spine. "Yes, it is. Do you have a problem with it?"

"N-n-no, sir! A-As I was s-saying, a report as come from G-5…"

Garp and Tsuru smirked as they snapped a photo of their recently-promoted friend through the crack of the slightly open door. If Sengoku noticed them, he gave no indication.

And that, my dears, is a story of true friendship.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

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_**Please leave a review!**_


	5. To Accept His Chosen Path

_**An encounter between two individuals one usually would not link together...**_

_**This chapter is rather different from the others, mainly due to only one member of the trio appearing, and also the addition of a new character. Still, I hope you like it as much as the previous ones!**_

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**To Accept His Chosen Path**

**Summary: He chose a path that was different from theirs. In their eyes, he would always be a boy. But they could also accept that he had become a man, and let him go. **

Tsuru awoke and immediately tensed, knowing what had awakened her.

There was someone in the room. Tsuru's eyes narrowed, squinting to see in the darkness. Not for the first time she cursed that there was no light switch beside the bed. One hand reached for the rifle that she always kept near. Fingers closing around the reassuring metal, her eyes never left the shadows.

"Reveal yourself," she barked fiercely.

"Aunt Tsuru."

She relaxed, her grip on her weapon loosening at the familiar voice. "What brings you here like a thief in the night, Dragon?"

She didn't switch on the light, for his sake. She knew that if he had come in this manner, he wouldn't have wanted to attract any attention to his presence. Especially since he had full approval to enter the residential area of Marineford, being the son of an officer.

"Foolish boy. Your father is worried about you, you know."

"He knows that I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"That still will not stop a father from worrying. You will understand one day."

"…Aunt Tsuru, the reason I came here today, is to ask if you could pass a letter to my father."

"A letter?"

"Of farewell."

Tsuru sighed, she had thought as much. "And you would not rather see him personally?"

"…He would probably beat me up straight away, tie me up and lock me in his room."

"With reason. You've been gone for weeks without telling him anything, boy. And now you say that you will be leaving for good? No parent would take that standing."

"Please, Aunt Tsuru. There's something that I need to do. I always felt that you were the one who understands me the most. Can't you understand this?"

"What is so important that you have to leave your family?"

"I too, have the desire to protect this world. But unlike my father and yourself, I do not see a path to that end in Justice."

"Where have you found that path, Dragon?"

"It is a path that I, along with some like-minded others, are determined to create ourselves."

Silence settled as the woman looked pensively at the boy she had watched grow up. He was a man now, with ideals separate from theirs.

"The world is at the cusp of change. This is my goodbye, at least for now. I do not wish to cast suspicion on all of you."

"You think that cutting ties is the only way for us to avoid suspicion?"

"I know that it is so, and so do you. This world is an unforgiving one."

"…" Tsuru sighed. "Very well, I will pass on your message to your father." She took the folded slip of paper that Dragon handed to her.

"Ask him to burn it after he has read it."

"He won't, you know."

"…" Dragon sighed in the darkness, knowing this to be true. "Send my regards to Uncle Sengoku as well. I'll be taking my leave now. Goodbye, Aunt Tsuru... No, it should be Vice Admiral Tsuru."

"I'll always be your Aunt Tsuru," she chided gently.

He was silent, and after a brief moment turned towards the window. She watched as he placed one foot on the windowsill and scanned the surrounding area for patrolling guards. He moved soundlessly, with an air of being used to the dark. When had he learnt to be so stealthy? Where had the serious yet sweet child who used to clumsily stumble around gone?

"Dragon?" The young man paused briefly. "Stay safe."

"You too," he whispered, and then he was gone. Tsuru stood there staring out at the night sky for a long moment before heading back to bed.

That night, Monkey D Dragon let go of his identity and those who loved him.

Come morning, the whole world would know the name Dragon the Revolutionary.

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_**Please review!**_


	6. To Pretend Not To See

**_A new chapter! Hope you like it!_**

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**To Pretend Not to See**

**Summary: As Marine officials, they were duty bound to capture those who opposed the government. But sometimes, looking the other way is the right thing to do.**

"This is insanity! First the rebellion at Aoyama, then the revolution at Stellia, and now Furan!" The stressed Fleet Admiral paused for a moment to clutch his head before resuming his frenzied pacing. "There has been so much going on, we barely have time to cope, let alone deploy the necessary troops. This is all the Revolutionary Army's fault! With all these conquests, Dragon's basically declaring war against the World Government… – and why the #%* are you two so calm!?"

The last line was punctuated with a fierce glare and a sharp jab of a finger in the direction of the two Marine officers who were sitting on the couch. The pair ignored his tirade with the ease of long practice. In fact, it could be said that they seemed to have come to ignore his entire presence completely.

"This is good tea, Garp. I'm surprised that you have it." Tsuru delicately took a sip of green tea from her porcelain cup.

Garp munched contently on a rice cracker. Empty packets littered the coffee table. His booming laugh sent a small shower of crumbs onto the grey fabric of the couch. "Bwahahaha! I just received it yesterday. Dragon sent it. Goodness knows why the boy sent me tea leaves of all things. He had the good sense to send these rice crackers together, though. They're excellent."

"Will you two listen to me!?" Sengoku raged. Again, this had no more effect than the seagull calls from outside the window.

"And these dried persimmons?"

"They were in the package too. Hey, you like these, don't you, Sengoku? Want one?"

"Why, thank y-" Hand halfway to the open packet of dried persimmon, Sengoku froze. What was he doing, getting sucked into their pace? "ARGH!"

"It's not seemly to yell like that, Fleet Admiral," Tsuru admonished half teasingly, helping herself to a piece of dried persimmon.

"Just why do you think I'm yelling!?"

"Alright, we'll listen to what you want to say," Garp leaned back on his seat and yawned. Sengoku glared at him. "But are you sure you don't want a persimmon first? They're from Furan, you know."

"WHAT!?"

"Well, that's what Dragon said in his letter."

"Furan is known for their wonderful fruit products." Tsuru noted placidly. "How thoughtful of him to send us some. It's quite difficult to get any outside the island."

Sengoku looked like he was about to suffer from apoplexy.

"I think that you should calm down and think this over rationally."

"I _am_ thinking rationally!"

The look on Tsuru's face told him that she didn't believe that for one moment. Sengoku took a deep breath and counted mentally to ten. No, make that twenty instead.

Garp broke his concentration at eighteen. "I don't see the problem, to be honest," he added his two cents nonchalantly.

Sengoku snapped.

"The problem!? THE PROBLEM!? You say you don't see the problem!? The whole thing is the problem! Firstly, these persimmons are from Furan, of all places-"

"I do believe that these can only be obtained as gifts from the villagers, for they are not generally for sale. It appears that he has gained their trust and good will. They are in fact known to be rather reserved people," Tsuru commented.

"And these rice crackers-"

"Are really good." Garp supplied between munches.

"Stellia has been prospering since their change of regime, as far as reports tell us."

"And Aoyama tea leaves!

"A brand that hasn't been found in the market since their former lord Minami claimed rule over the mountain five years ago. I would say that he has done well there, even if you hold to the contrary."

Silence fell.

"…That boy will be the death of me," Sengoku grumbled.

"Just let it be, old chap," was Garp's sagely words of advice.

"For once, I agree with Garp."

"Just 'for once'? You're so cruel, Tsuru-chan."

"It was his own decision, Sengoku. We could hardly have done anything about it. We've done all we've can."

"But that doesn't change the fact that he's been creating endless trouble for me, the damn brat!" Sengoku griped, resuming his pacing. "Do you have any idea about how much paperwork I have to do!?"

"Well, in that case, I suppose we better leave you to your work, Fleet Admiral," Tsuru got up to leave, brushing crumbs off her uniform pants as she rose.

"Yup, do your best, Senny," Garp ambled out of the office after his friend.

It took Sengoku one full minute to realize that the duo had sneakily escaped from having more work piled on them. Which left Sengoku with _all_ the work. "Hey you two! Get back here!"

Unfortunately for him, they were long gone.

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_**Please review!**_


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